City seeks to recruit litter cleanup partners

Tuesday

Feb 21, 2012 at 12:01 AMFeb 22, 2012 at 10:57 PM

Keep Columbus Beautiful wants to Keep Northland Beautiful.

Keep Columbus Beautiful wants to Keep Northland Beautiful.

Working in conjunction with the Northland Community Council, officials with the city's program to clean up litter and remove graffiti want to get businesses, civic associations, Block Watch groups and individuals to enter into Adopt-an-Area partnerships along the state Route 161 corridor.

The community council's landscaping and beautification committee and the Northland Area Business Association's SR-161 Task Force already perform regular cleanups of the corridor between Interstate 71 and Ponderosa Drive, spring through fall, in cooperation with Keep Columbus Beautiful.

However, personnel in the Department of Public Service initiative are hoping to get partners to focus on 10 specific areas or intersections.

An email appeal went out earlier this month on the NCC's listserv, but so far, only two individuals, both of whom were already picking up trash in one of the areas, have expressed interest in a formal partnership, according to Keep Columbus Beautiful program manager Sherri Palmer.

"It's early and people get more interested in doing these kinds of things when the weather tilts in their direction," she said. "We hope to have about 20 groups altogether. That would make a tremendous difference. It would be a real strong example. That's a very strong community."

Palmer pointed out that East Dublin-Granville Road is one of the primary gateways to the Northland area, and that a poorly maintained entry point can be harmful to revitalization efforts.

The Northland area is one of several sections where the volunteer litter policing is being encouraged.

"We have had a really strong push to increase our Adopt-an-Area partners throughout the city," Palmer said.

Under the program, groups or individuals agree to a sustained effort to pick up trash or remove graffiti; 90 percent of them work on litter, according to Palmer. Columbus currently has about 117 Adopt-an-Area relationships.

The group or individuals make a two-year commitment to conduct at least two activities a year.

After the first year or first two activities are completed, Palmer said personnel in the city sign shop create a sign to be erected in the area identifying the organization or people responsible for keeping after litter or graffiti.

"We are hoping to create a sustainable commitment to this important gateway to your community and to support the ongoing quarterly cleanups by the businesses," Keep Columbus Beautiful volunteer coordinator Robert E. Seed wrote in the email appeal for assistance.

The areas being encouraged for adoption in the corridor are:

• from I-71 to Satinwood and Ambleside drives

• from Satinwood Drive to Karl Road

• from Karl Road to Tamarack and Sharon Woods boulevards

• from Tamarack and Sharon Woods boulevards to Beechcroft Road

• from Beechcroft Road to Maple Canyon Avenue

• from Maple Canyon Avenue to Spring Run Drive and Parkville Street

• from Spring Run/Parkville to Cleveland Avenue

• from Cleveland Avenue to Forest Hills Boulevard and Northland Plaza

• from Forest Hills Boulevard and Northland Plaza to Ponderosa Drive

• from Ponderosa Drive to Fairview Drive and Old Dublin Granville Road

"For most of state Route 161, there is a north and a south service road," the email states, describing these locations as "natural breaks where people or business could adopt" an area.

"Depending on what people, businesses, groups feel they can do, an Adopt-An-Area can be the north side or the south side or both sides of any of the above areas," Seed wrote. "There is the potential to have 20 groups along this corridor adopting areas."

Those interested may contact Keep Columbus Beautiful at 645-2421 or via email, RESeed@columbus.gov.

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